Exodus16: MANNA IN THE WILDERNESS

Introduction: Read Exodus16.

There has been a lot of speculation about what manna was. The fact that it appeared regularly, abundantly and for a period of forty years makes it very unlikely to be a naturally occurring wilderness foodstuff - like the quails. I will concentrate on the spiritual lessons to be drawn from the manna rather than speculate about what it was. The Israelites did not know what the substance was. Manna means in Hebrew, 'What is it?'

(1) Bad experiences test our confidence in God.

(a) Although the Israelites brought flocks of sheep and goats with them into the semi-desert not all the people would have had access to the milk, yoghurt, butter and cheese they provided. When the grain from Egypt ran out starvation would be a very real prospect for some. I expect they were better fed in Egypt. The soils in the Nile delta were so fertile even tiny plots would be highly productive. The distributaries of the Nile teemed with fish.

The hungry people were not prepared to accept responsibility for their predicament. They blamed Moses and Aaron for leading them into the wilderness. They said: "You have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." 16v3. Moses and Aaron did not coerce the people to leave Egypt. They could have remained slaves in Egypt if they wished. It was their decision to follow Moses into the desert.

Ultimately, of course, the Israelites held God responsible for their situation. Moses recognised this when he told the people: "You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." 16v8.

(b) There is a lot of grumbling in church life. Some complain about not being fed - the sermons are not meaty enough - there isn't sufficient doctrine. Others moan about spiritual indigestion - the sermons are too long and complicated. Criticisms are many and varied: There's nothing for the young people, the needs of the old folk are ignored, people are unfriendly, there are too many cliques, we never sing the old hymns, the pews are uncomfortable, the pastor needs to speak up, the organist plays too slowly.

I am afraid many grumbles focus on the pastor. It is amazing how many pastors are welomed as men of God's choice only it seems for God to have made the wrong choice!

(c) Grumbling is a poor response to difficulties in the church. Whining, whinging, grizzling - even the words sound unattractive. There is nothing more depressing than to be in the company of a moaner.

Grumbling is very negative. It isn't constructive. The moaner very rarely acts to improve the situation. If anything the situation will deteriorate as leaders become disillusioned by the poisonous atmosphere.

When I was a schoolteacher I discovered that constant criticism demotivated children. If you tell pupils every lessons what a useless bunch they are, this is certainly how they will end up. Far more is achieved by praising whenever you can; encouraging rather than discouraging.

This is a lesson congregations need to learn. A pastor will improve if he receives constructive advice and praise when it is due. A few comments on the sermon will at least reassure him that someone is listening to what he says!

(2) God provides for our needs.

It is almost impossible to work out what the manna was. There is no naturally occurring substance that matches all the characteristics of the manna. Although it is unprofitable to speculate about what it was, lessons can be drawn from God's provision of manna:

(a) It was daily. Each day, except the Sabbath, manna appeared on the ground with the morning dew. There was sufficient for all the Israelites. None needed to go hungry.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." We are not encouraged to anticipate future want but to live each day as it comes. Christians live by faith that each day God will provide.

Just as the body needs daily nourishment so, too, does the spirit. Christians should make time to pray and read the Word of God every day. This gives God the opportunity to refresh and restore us.

(b) It had to be gathered. It required considerable time and effort to gather 4 pints per person of a small seed like substance from the ground. Even picking that volume of blackberries cannot be done quickly.

It requires effort if we are to get daily sustenance from God's word. I read a short extract from the Bible each day and a short meditation upon the passage. This provides far less nourishment than the in depth studies I do for these expositions. Many Christians suffer from malnutrition!

(c) Anyone could gather manna: men, women and children. It was a low tech activity and as such could be done by people of low intellectual ability.

Singing is something most folk can do - if not always tunefully. Singing provides some folk much needed spiritual nourishment. I like the story of Henk in Corrie ten Boom's book, 'In My Father's House'. He was a mentally retarded boy who made clothes-pegs day after day in a government workshop. He didn't remember much, but he did remember the stories he heard in Corrie's Bible class. When Corrie visited him at home she found him in his room, on his knees in front of a chair. Before him was an old dirty picture of Jesus on the cross. He was singing in a soft, hoarse, voice:

      Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
      Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to Thee.
      Out of the depths of ruin untold, into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
      Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Corrie writes: I've heard Bach played by Schweitzer and anthems sung by gigantic choirs, but at the moment I felt as if I were in a cathedral with angels surrounding me. I tiptoed back downstairs without disturbing him, praising God again for the love He brings into the lives of 'even the least of them.'

(d) The manna needed some preparation before it was edible. It had to be ground up - either between grindstones or with a pestle and mortar. Then it could either be baked or boiled. It sounds more like a seed than anything else!

One of the functions of the Bible teacher is to take difficult passages of God's word which are hard to digest and to make them edible. I hope my expositions on Paul's epistles achieve this.

(e) It lasted forty years. Only when the Israelites left the desert for the Promised Land did the supply cease. Manna was provided every day while they remained in the wilderness.

This is the experience of the Christian. God's provision of spiritual food does not run out. It is always available to men and women who read their Bibles every day. We can feast upon the Bread of Heaven until we reach the end of our pilgrimage.

(3) The Israelites ignored the instructions they were given.

(a) The people were told to collect 4 pints per person. Some collected more than they needed - a bit like diners at a carvery who pile their plates up with vegetables and then leave half of them. Others collected less than they needed for reasons less easy to understand. Perhaps some ladies were figure conscious even in those distant days! However, when the people got home and measured out what they had collected everybody had just enough! I suppose this would be true if some collected too much and others too little!

When Christians listen to a sermon - some take a lot in and others relatively little. But I think it is true to say that usually everybody has had enough.

(b) The Hebrews were told not to store the manna over-night. Some completely ignored this instruction. Perhaps they thought there would be less collecting to do if some was kept for the morning. However, manna stored in this way was a mass of maggots by breakfast. A few scholars believe the manna was a variety of magic mushroom. These are very prone to infestations of maggots.

So some folk kept the manna over-night as a matter of convenience - to save them labour in the morning. They could lie in rather than get up while the dew was still on the ground.

We should be careful not to make church attendance and worship a matter of convenience. I am afraid there are growing numbers of Christians in Britain who attend church on Sunday if they have nothing better to do. I was brought up to reserve Sunday for worship. That is what should come first - not visits to relatives or sporting events or trips to the seaside!

(c) The Israelites were told to pick up a double amount of manna on Friday because Saturday was to be treated as a special day of rest. There would be no manna to collect on the Sabbath.

Some of the Israelites took absolutely no notice of what they were told. They were out on Saturday morning looking for the manna that wasn't there! These foolish individuals thought the Sabbath was just another day to do with as they pleased.

I think it is wrong in the day of grace to be legalistic about Sunday. However it should be a special day for Christians - the day they commemorate the resurrection of Jesus and the great victory over despair, death and destruction he won for us. Surely Christians should set aside this day primarily for worship rather than recreation, family visits, shopping and the like.

(4) It is important to remember God's goodness to us.

When God's holy tent, the Tabernacle, was constructed, some of the manna was taken and placed in a golden vessel as a tangible memorial to God's mercy, faithfulness and unfailing provision.

We should not underestimate the importance of holy days like Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Pentecost.

Christians even have their holy emblems like the cross and water and wine. After almost 50 years I still remember an illustration used by dear old George Bird the much loved pastor of Bethesda, Ipswich. He knew of an Ipswich retailer who kept a large nail in his till. When asked why the nail was in his till the shopkeeper replied, "To remind me of what I owe."

Holy days, holy emblems and also holy buildings are all memorials to God's goodness. Returning from a wonderful holiday in Japan it was great to finally circle over London preparatory to landing at Heathrow. Two things struck me as the plane dropped lower and lower over the capital: the wealth of green spaces and the innumerable church towers and spires pointing upwards. Those church spires raised my spirits - they were tangible evidence of England's Christian heritage.

(5) Conclusion.

The Israelites main problem was that they failed to realise how important they were to God. It didn't matter that God had delivered them from slavery, led them out of Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea, the Israelites still could not grasp how precious they were to God. It was inconceivable that he would allow them to die of thirst in the desert. God would not allow that to happen. The Israelite's faith was so weak and faint they failed to appreciate their special status as God's chosen people.

This is a great weakness of Christians who struggle to understand just how precious they are to God. We need to hold on to the thrilling words of Paul: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? .... We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced ...... that nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom8v31to39. Defiant words! Triumphant words! Victorious words! MAKE THEM YOUR RALLYING CRY.

ANY COMMENTS FOR JOHN REED: E-mail jfmreed@talktalk.net

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